Tuesday, September 20, 2005

House Training Your Dog by Perfect Paws Dog and Puppy Training: "Dogs are instinctively clean animals. If they can avoid it, they would rather not soil themselves or their usual eating and sleeping areas. Dogs also naturally develop habits of where they would like to eliminate. For example, dogs that have a habit of eliminating on grass or dirt would rather not eliminate on concrete or gravel. You can use these natural tendencies for rapid and successful house training.

Setting Up For Successful House Training
Establish the Living Area
There are two things you can do to set your dog up for successful house training. First, establish your dog's living area (we will call it 'den' from here out) in a small confined space such as a bathroom, part of the kitchen or garage. Please note that a den is not a crate. Read about crate training for more information on this.
Try to spend as much time as possible with your dog in her den. It is important to play with her in this area as well as let her eat and sleep here. Give your dog a special bed; this can be anything from an open crate to a large cardboard box to a beach towel. In the beginning, she may eliminate in here but once she realizes that this is her special den, she will try to avoid soiling it.
Once your dog gets used to sleeping on her very own bed, you can move it around your house from room to room, where ever you go. Confine your dog to her bed when ever you are somewhere other than her den. If her bed is a crate, simply close the door. If her bed is a towel or blanket, place it next to a piece of furniture and leash your dog so she can't get out of her bed.
Since you should never leave your dog unattended while leashed, it's an even better idea to leash your dog to yourself! Tie one end of the leash around your waist or belt loop. Now your dog can accompany you around your home and you can monitor her behavior"